


Everything that's small has to grow

by keysmash



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: 14valentines, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-10
Updated: 2010-02-10
Packaged: 2017-10-07 04:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keysmash/pseuds/keysmash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby was in for the long game, willing to drag her good name through the mud to make sure this plan worked, and there wasn't a set-back she couldn't overcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything that's small has to grow

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Led Zeppelin. Written for 14valentines.

It would have gone so much smoother if Dean had just stayed dead.

She'd gotten Sam hooked well enough, by the time Dean did grace them all with his presence again, that he hadn't run off entirely once his brother was back, but that single moment in the doorway, with the two of them staring at each other over her like she wasn't even there, undid months and months of work. Dean knocked Sam right back into doubting her, and for a while, she didn't have blood or sex or anything else that would tempt Sam back to her.

He came back in the end, though. He kept things under wraps as well as he could, considering, and even after he blew his cover wide open, he didn't stay away.

Ruby was in for the long game, willing to drag her good name through the mud to make sure this plan worked, and there wasn't a set-back she couldn't overcome. Dropping in on him just often enough to give him hope while Dean was dying, acting like she cared about any of that, sure. Keeping him fed and clothed and just drunk enough to be malleable when he would have rather offed himself, done. Letting him have whatever part of this stolen body he wanted, easy.

Dean's death signaled a new phase of her plan, and she'd known she might need to step up her meatsuit. Sam had never acted on whatever attraction he felt to the first body she wore to see him, and maybe he'd worked with her long enough to get over it. She'd wound up playing more of a mentor than she'd originally thought she'd need to be, so she retooled, after Lilith trashed the first girl on her way out. It wasn't a big deal to find another body, and, when Sam put up a fuss over that one, it was even less effort to slip into the nearest hospital, possess the hottest nurse there, and from there, forge up some paperwork. None of the _actual_ coma victims were anyone she'd want to be in, but Sam was grasping for anything at that point, and he ate her story up, not questioning for a moment. He'd never lived alone, had always had someone to clean up his messes and keep him in one piece, and he was grateful. The nurse shut up eventually, and some days, Ruby could almost believe her own story.

Sometimes, she thought he knew her lies. After he finally gave in and fucked her, and played that much further into her hand, he used to lie in bed with her, sometimes drunk, and stare down at her like he didn't know what he was looking at. Ruby thought that was fair enough, with all the lies she'd told him, but he never said anything about it. He did one of three things after that — roll over and go to sleep, get up and drink, or put his hands on her as if trying to convince himself she was what she said — but he didn't ever question her out loud.

It wasn't hard for Ruby to steer him away from the things he didn't want to think about, because he wanted so badly to be doing the right thing. All those sayings about the road to Hell, and he hadn't paid attention to any of them. She kept saying the things he wanted to hear, and he kept letting her bleed into him.

Her reputation was fucking trashed for the time being, though. It was a good thing she and Lilith decided she needed to be fully under cover, because there wasn't anyone Ruby could ask for cooperation, now that all of Hell knew she'd shacked up with a Winchester. She needed to avoid the heavy hitters just as much as Sam did, until he was stronger, but he didn't notice she was keeping him on an easy path. It was all hard to him.

Ruby wouldn't be able to get anything done under her own name for a long time, but she was banking on Lilith's influence, and Lucifer's gratitude, when all was said and done. She would have been willing to do so much more than just Sam, even though it had come with stupid sacrifices, but Ruby knew it wasn't permanent. Eventually, she'd be able to sway things on her own. She'd be her own influence, and everyone else would be impressed with her for being with Sam, instead of looking down on her, instead of hunting her down with him. Eventually.


End file.
